David Freese Aug 17, 2021; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Former St. Louis Cardinals third baseman David Freese and 2011 NLCS and World Series MVP throws out a first pitch prior to a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-USA TODAY Sports
FeaturedMLBBy Sam Neumann on

World Series heroes are almost universally honored by the franchise that they helped earn a ring. Though, in this instance, almost is the operative word.

The St. Louis Cardinals planned on inducting David Freese into the team’s Hall of Fame, in part because of his heroics during Game 6 of the 2011 World Series. But, Freese, who was set to enter the Cardinals Hall of Fame in August, notified the team on Saturday that he would be declining the induction.

According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Freese spent a lot of time weighing the honor, and the play of others who received it. In the end, he knew the value of the honor and wanted to respect others who had been inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame.

“This is something that I have given an extreme amount of thought to, humbly, even before the voting process began,” Freese wrote in a statement, via The Athletic’s Katie Woo. “I am aware of the impact I had helping the team bring great memories to the city I grew up in, including the 11th championship, but this honor means more to me.”

Freese, who grew up a Cardinals fan in the St, Louis suburbs, was a hero, not only in the World Series but in the 2011 MLB playoffs. Before being named that year’s World Series Most Valuable Player, he was named the NLCS MVP. He had a .545 batting average, hit three home runs, drove in nine runs and scored 7 runs.

And while those efforts should be applauded, he is more known for his heroic efforts against the Texas Rangers in Game 6. In that Game 6, Freese posted the best win probability added in MLB postseason history with a 0.969, which is 0.0099 better than Kirk Gibson of the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series.

With the Cardinals down to their final strike, Freese hit a two-run triple to tie the game in the ninth. Later, Freese hit a walk-off home run in the 11th inning to force a Game 7, one in which the Cardinals would beat the Texas Rangers by a score of 6-2, as Freese added two more RBIs and was named World Series MVP.

“I look at who I was during my tenure, and that weighs heavily on me,” he continued. “The Cardinals and the entire city have always had my back in every way. I’m forever grateful to be part of such an amazing organization and fan base, then, now and in the future.

“I’m especially sorry to the fans that took the time to cast their votes. Cardinal Nation is basically the reason I’ve unfortunately waited so long for this decision and made it more of a headache for so many people. I feel strongly about my decision and understand how people might feel about this. I get it. I’ll wear it.”

Freese’s decision to decline the Hall of Fame induction sent a shockwave throughout those in the world of Major League Baseball, with those largely shocked by his humility.

 

Across five seasons with the Cardinals, Freese hit .286 with 44 home runs and 237 RBIs. He later played for the Pirates, Dodgers and Angels, and last appeared in an MLB game back in 2019.

[Katie Woo; photo from Joe Puetz/USA TODAY Sports]

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann